The Fletcher School

H.E. George Gomiashvili, F'99
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
The Republic of Georgia
 

On September 13, H.E. George Gomiashvili, a 1999 graduate of the Fletcher School and current Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, came to the School’s Murrow Room to speak with students and faculty about recent events in Georgia.

Gomiashvili was introduced by Professor Andrew Hess, director of Fletcher’s Program for Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization. Hess noted that the roundtable discussion was part of an ongoing focus by Fletcher faculty on the South Caucasus. A lecture series on changes in the region will be starting on October 19, 2004 with a presentation by Dr. Araz Azimov, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

“Mission Impossible for Georgia”

The primary focus of Gomiashvili’s lecture was the status of the relationship between Georgia and the Russian Federation, which he quipped, takes up “110 percent” of the time of Georgian foreign policy makers. When the current president, Mikhail Saakashvili came into power, Gomiashvili said, he had three foreign policy prerogatives. The first was eventual NATO accession. The second was Georgia’s relationship with the European Union. The third (“but sometimes first”) was an improvement in Georgia’s relationship with the Russian Federation.

In the wake of the recent tragedy in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russian officials have raised the possibility of involvement of Chechens from the Abkhazia and Adjaria regions of Georgia. According to Gomiashvili, a recent statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia reserved the right to take preemptive measures worldwide evoked particular concern within the Georgian government.

“We understand from our history,” said Gomiashvili, “that ‘all over the world’ usually means Georgia.”

Gomiashvili lamented the fact that attempts by Georgia to ameliorate the presently tense relations between Tbilisi and Moscow have faltered. “In the last three months, he said, there have been 1,676 publications in the Russian press about Georgia. In every one, we are the ‘bad guys.’”

While emphasizing the respect and goodwill of the Georgian government towards Russia, Gomiashvili also stressed that Russia needs to understand that “the key to their problems on the Southern boarder lies on the other side of the Caucasus – Georgia’s success story.” Facilitating this understanding, he said, is currently “mission impossible for Georgia.”

Regional relationships

During the seminar, discussion also centered on Georgia’s relationships with other neighboring countries.

In response to a question about the current status of inter-Caucasus relations, Gomiashvili made two comments. He said that although Georgia has a “wonderful relationship” with both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and has offered to host mediation sessions to discuss their conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, thus far the offer has not been accepted.

Gomiashvili also highlighted the fact that although Georgia is the most favored Caucasus country to join the EU, it has held off on applying for membership in order to wait for Azerbaijan and Armenia. In June 2004, the European Union formally included the three countries in its “European Neighborhood policy.”

Professor Hess commented that within three months, an oil pipeline - the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline Project – will be operational, and wondered whether this shared source of income might lead to closer relations between Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. Gomiashvili responded that Turkey would first need to “realize their promise to close the Bosphorus [strait] down” – a move likely to be unpopular in Moscow.

A “Practical Success Story”

Gomiashvili also discussed some of the positive internal steps that have been taken by the Saakashvili government since its election into power last spring.

The new government, he said, has confronted problems that were “frozen issues” under former president Eduard Shevardnadze. In order to undermine separatist leadership in the South Ossetia through nonviolent methods, Tbilisi mounted a campaign to “bombard” the regions with humanitarian and financial assistance. According to Gomiashvili “Tbilisi did more for the people of the region in three weeks” than separatist leaders had in years, and popular support for them has since declined.

Gomiashvili also made note of the democratic reforms enforced by the Saakashvili government, particularly the crackdown on political corruption.

Throughout Georgia, believes Gomiashvili, people seem to be enjoying a newfound trust in their government and an enthusiasm about participating in ongoing development efforts.

“Just by doing their jobs every day” he said, “they are helping to build a nation.”

Article by Anika Binnendijk MALD '06